Red and Purple
by Seohyun-Moon
Summary: Agent 3 encounters an Octoling, who's free spirited and independent. Secretly, the two form a unique friendship, one that no one in Inkopolis nor Octo Valley is ready for.
1. Chapter 1: Rebel

Chapter 1: Rebel

Agent 3 emerged out of the spawn point and stepped into the arena Kelp Dome. His mission was to defeat the Octolings and obtain the caged Zapfish. As he progress through the level, knocking each Octoling off the map, he noticed a figure from afar standing on top of the walls. Eager to not miss a single enemy, he ran towards the figure.

"One more Power Egg and I can get an upgrade!" he thought with a grin across his face.

As he got closer, he recognized the figure was another Octoling. The Octoling didn't attack; rather she didn't bother noticing him at all despite his loud footsteps. She looked preoccupied looking at the rest of the level before her. Confused, Agent 3 continued to quietly observe her, wondering when she would make the first move. For a moment, he also began to notice a few differences of this strange Octoling compared to the others. First, she didn't wear the usual goggle head gear. Second, her tentacle like "hair" was of a bright color red. Lastly, she lacked an ink tank on her back, but she at least had her gun. Within a few seconds, she turned around and looked at him. Agent 3 quickly raised his gun in defense, but the Octoling didn't. Instead, she carefully looked at him with curiosity.

"Hm?" Agent 3 thought as he kept his gun up, "why isn't she attacking?"

Before the Octoling took another step, a sharp noise coming from Agent 3's earpiece echoed out.

"HEY SONNY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

It was Cap'n Cuttlefish's voice, which startled the Octoling to make her fall backwards behind the wall.

"YOU SHOULD BE ATTACKING! AIN'T NOTHING GOOD ABOUT THOSE OCTOLINGS!"

Agent 3 felt his ear go temporarily deaf. He quickly muted his ear piece in annoyance. Not knowing if the Octoling was still there, he quickly shot the wall with ink and transformed into a squid to swim up the wall. As he got on top of the wall, he transformed back. He looked around for any signs of the Octoling, but she was nowhere to be found.

"I need a report Agent 3! Please see me," Cap'n Cuttlefish advised as Agent 3 exited the level he was in.

Agent 3 sighed and turned off his headset. The last thing he wanted to hear was a lecture. As he reached the main entrance to Octo Valley, Cap'n was standing at his usual spot in front of the large sign board. He didn't look too happy, but he wasn't angry either.

"Hey, I'm sorry about what happened earlier. But I wanted to investigate why that Octoling acted differently than the rest," Agent 3 explained before Cap'n could say anything.

"It doesn't matter how differently they're acting. That Octoling is the same as the rest of them! We can't take any chances," Cap'n stubbornly replied as he tapped his cane.

"But how do you know? There has to be at least one that's the least hostile," Agent 3 spoke feeling a little optimistic.

But Cap'n merely shook his head, "We have to protect ourselves first."

Agent 3 didn't argue any further. He knew that after years of war, Cap'n grew somewhat of a stone cold heart towards the Octarians.

"I'll be sure to keep my headset on Captain," Agent 3 assured while changing the subject.

"Good, I'll keep ya safe kid. With me around, you can be sure that those Octarians won't take advantage of you!" Cap'n replied with a firm nod.

"Understood," Agent 3 replied nodding in return.

It was the same each day after that, Agent 3 continued on his missions. There was no trace of seeing that strange Octoling, but Agent 3 kept an eye out for her anyways. She was different, but what made her different? Each of the Octarians he encountered had the same mindset; they were driven to attack anything and everything. But she, she only looked at him with curiosity, she didn't raise her weapon. Furthermore, she lacked the gear, which was very odd. Every Octarian he fought were well equipped. His mind lingered with these thoughts.

As Agent 3 advanced in his missions and collected more Power Eggs, he found one of the Sunken Sea Scrolls he had been missing. He didn't speak any of his findings to Cap'n, due to he felt Cap'n would beat around the bush rather than speak the truth. Agent 3 carefully looked around and saw no camera following him. He turned off his headset right away. As he continued walking forward, he found two walls with a little bit of space in between and slipped inside. When he saw the coast was clear, he opened up the Sea Scroll. It revealed a familiar image of what looked like Cap'n speaking with a high ranking leader of the Octarians. They were both smiling as if they were having a pleasant conversation. At the bottom of the page, was a small message:

 _Before the Great Turf War, there were amicable relations between the Inklings and the Octarians. They couldn't have dreamed that rising sea levels would force them to battle fiercely over the remaining territory._

Agent 3 let out a sigh, "So that's what happened, no wonder Cap'n was over protective."

He began to wonder what would have happened differently if the Octarians and Inklings had gotten along. Would there be peace? A world filled with mixed species perhaps?

Realizing the time, Agent 3 slipped back the scroll into his shirt and carefully walked out of the walls. But before he could fully emerge out, a familiar face caught him.

"AH!" Agent 3 cried as he took a step back and nearly tripped. He caught himself on the wall behind him.

Looking back at him was the Octoling from several days ago. Her red tentacle "hair" gleamed in the brightness of the sun. She looked the same, same clothing and carried only one gun with no ink tank. She appeared more cheery than cautious the last time they had met.

"I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier," she apologized, "I didn't know how to approach you."

"Oh!" Agent 3 replied feeling surprised. He didn't think she'd talk at all, "t-that's okay!" he began nervously, "I didn't know how to approach you either."

The Octoling sighed with relief, "then the feeling is mutual!" she giggled. This made Agent 3 feel flustered as he felt the heat rise in his facial cheeks. He took a step closer to her.

"I'm Agent 3," he said reaching his hand out for an introductory handshake.

The Octoling tilted her head a little and looked at his hand. She didn't know what to do. Agent 3 felt awkward. He pulled his hand back.

"Sorry, it was just a greeting," he said explaining himself, "Um…Do you have a name?"

She looked back up at him and looked to the side, again unable to really answer him.

"A name?" she questioned shrugging her shoulders, "I don't think I have that…"

"Oh…," Agent 3 said not sure where else to carry the conversation.

"I know what I am. I'm an Octoling! Maybe that's my name?" she said speaking out loud, wondering if that was a good enough answer.

"Well I don't know if I'd want to call you 'Octoling', that's what you are, it's your species," Agent 3 tried to explain.

"Then that's who I am! I'm Octoling," she stated finally.

"I don't think that calling yourself an Octoling is saying that's your name. It has to be something you want to personally identify with, something different and unique maybe?" Agent 3 tried to suggest.

"Do you think Agent 3 is a different and unique name?" she retorted as she crossed her arms.

"Well I um…" Agent 3 began. He didn't know what to say in his defense…He was given that name after all…

"Then it's settled, my name is Octoling" she finalized with a sense of not wanting to argue any further.

"Ah, all right," Agent 3 replied in defeat, "if that's what you want."

Octoling smiled and Agent 3 gave a small smile in return. He looked down at his watch and noticed that ten minutes had passed. He felt a bit anxious wondering if Cap'n was searching around through the cameras. Not wanting to waste any more time, he looked back at Octoling.

"Is there a way for us to meet again? I wouldn't mind getting to know you a bit more," Agent 3 offered.

"There is. I know many parts here in Octo Valley, just say the name and I'll be there," Octoling answered with a nod.

"I don't know the true name of it exactly here in this world, but it has a lot of brick walls. In my world it's called 'BlueFin Depot', maybe you're familiar with it?" Agent 3 asked wondering if his description was enough for her to understand.

"I think I know what place you're talking about, I can meet you there early tonight if you'd like," Octoling offered.

"That sounds good. I'll see you then," Agent 3 confirmed.

~to be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: Identity

Chapter 2: Identity

As Agent 3 finished another tiring mission, he noticed Cap'n had not spoken to him through the headset since he started clearing out levels.

"Cap'n probably fell asleep," Agent 3 wondered as he put away his gun, "but that at least gives me an opportunity to take off this!"

He grabbed the headset off his right ear and pressed the button on the side to turn it off. Before he took another step forward, his intuition kicked in.

"Hmm maybe I should double check. I wouldn't want him yelling at me like last time," Agent 3 said to himself as he shook his head. He then headed back to the entrance of Octo Valley.

"Please be asleep, please be asleep," Agent 3 chanted as he swam through the vents and squid jumped towards the entrance. When he landed, he looked towards the large sign board and sure enough Cap'n was sitting in his chair asleep. Agent 3 sighed with relief and quietly ran past Cap'n to the other launch pad. He squid jumped to one of the floating islands and hopped into the kettles that contained the "BlueFin Depot" like world.

The timing was perfect; Agent 3 noticed the setting sun sky in the distance. It was precisely the time Octoling asked him to arrive. Before he stepped off the kettle, he noticed how quiet the level was. There was no presence of any enemies walking around or any sign of threats. Agent 3 wondered if Octoling had something to do with it, maybe she cleared the area before his arrival?

"BOO!"

Agent 3 jumped back and took out his gun as he turned around to see where the voice was coming from. He noticed right away it was Octoling, standing right behind him. Her arms and hands were raised up to shield herself.

"You scared me!" Agent 3 exclaimed putting away his gun and giving a sigh of relief.

"Sorry," Octoling giggled as she lowered her arms and hands back down to her sides.

"So," Agent 3 began as he straightened himself up, "where do you want to talk?"

Agent 3 and Octoling sat on one of the metal grates that overlooked the ocean water. Although it was an alternate world of BlueFin Depot, every piece of it was exactly as Agent 3 had seen it in the original world. The ocean shimmered brightly from the setting sun and Agent 3 felt at peace with the environment. He noticed Octoling enjoying it too as she smiled, her bright tentacle "hair" glistening brighter than usual. It was his first time seeing an Octarian smile, the rest of them usually held a cowl. Octoling glanced over at him.

"Hm?" she sounded noticing Agent 3 was looking at her.

"Oh nothing! I just noticed you were smiling. I never saw an Octarian smile before," Agent 3 responded with a sincere smile.

"Octarian….Is that what I am? Is that another name?" Octoling asked.

"Yes it is," Agent 3 answered, "it's another name in relation to your species."

"Oh," Octoling quietly replied as she turned away looking back towards the ocean.

"I'm sorry, I hope I didn't offend you," Agent 3 replied, "I didn't mean to compare you with the rest of the Octarians."

"No it's just, I'm still new to understanding what I am honestly," Octoling said truthfully, "I've seen others like me, but none of them approach me in a friendly way as much as you have."

"Really? That's weird. Usually if they see their own kind walking around, they wouldn't attack," Agent 3 stated feeling confused.

"Not me," Octoling said as she looked down, "You're the first person in a long time that's ever spoken and approached me in a friendly way."

"Octoling, that's hard to believe. You've been alone this whole time?" Agent 3 asked with concern.

"Yes I have," Octoling sighed as she looked up at Agent 3, "I found myself here in a random world, lying on top of those metal looking things you come out of."

"The kettles," Agent 3 clarified.

"Yes," Octoling nodded, "I don't know the name of the world I was in, but it had a lot of water, triangle looking trees, and floors that constantly moved."

"That sounds familiar," Agent 3 began to wonder. It did sound familiar, he could picture what world she was talking about, but he couldn't remember the name.

"After I wandered for a bit, I discovered another one of the kettles. Like intuition, I decided to take a dive into one. And since that day, I've been discovering other worlds and Octarians. I don't know my true origins, but I always wondered what I truly am," Octoling admitted.

"But earlier you seemed to know what you were," Agent 3 cut in, "You knew you were an Octoling."

"That's because I got the word from this," Octoling responded taking out an object from her pocket. As Agent 3 reached out his hand, Octoling carefully placed the object in his hand. He noticed it as a name tag name tag. It appeared worn, but he could clearly read the black text which read, "Octoling 0000".

"Ever since I saw the name 'Octoling' I assumed that's what I was. The moment we met and you confirmed Octoling is what I am, I thought it would be safe to assume it's my name," Octoling further explained.

"Okay, I can see where you're coming from," Agent 3 accepted as he moved around the name tag in his hand, "but what about the part here that says zero zero zero zero? What do the numbers mean?"

"I don't know, but 'Octoling' sounded better than saying my name is 'Octoling Zero Zero Zero Zero'" Octoling giggled as she took the name tag back and placed it away in her pocket, "but that's all I know for now of my origins."

"Well you're a lot more civil and independent than a lot of the Octarians out there, that's for sure," Agent 3 complimented with a smile.

Octoling smiled back and looked away, her cheeks turning red a little.

"Thanks," she replied shyly, "I'm really glad we're able to talk like this. I'm sorry I can't give you more information."

"No it's fine; I understand you're still trying to learn what's out there and what you are. Maybe since I've been collecting Zapfishes all over Octo Valley, maybe I can help you find answers too," Agent 3 offered.

"Really? Oh, but you don't have to!" Octoling said surprised.

"Yes! It's a promise," Agent 3 confirmed with a huge smile, "And you don't need to return the favor."

"You're very kind," Octoling said with a smile in return. Agent 3 felt a little flustered in his heart, but he remained calm and kept his composure.

There was silence for a moment as they looked back at the setting sun.

"By the way," Octoling interrupted, "Why is your name Agent 3?"

"Oh, well I…" Agent 3 began feeling a little hesitant, "I'm not too proud of it honestly."

"How come?" Octoling asked looking over towards him, "You don't like your name?"

"It's not that, I was given the name 'Agent 3', I never had a name to begin with nor could I even name myself," Agent 3 carefully replied, "It's a little confusing to understand."

"Then explain," Octoling pressed on.

"We Inklings don't give ourselves names until we're teenagers. When you're a teenager, it's during that time when you're able to explore the 'real world' where you get to make friends and play against each other in Turf Wars or other competitive games," Agent 3 explained in detail, "But unlike everyone in my group of friends, I chose to not give myself a name until I felt confident about it."

Octoling nodded a little as she listened.

"So when my home Inkopolis lost its Zapfish, our main power source for our world, I felt compelled to do something about it. Cap'n Cuttlefish, who believed the Octarians stole our Zapfish, recruited me to save it and gave me the name 'Agent 3'. I don't know why I'm third, but I felt important carrying the name and I stuck with it since," Agent 3 said with a smile and a shrug of his shoulders.

"It suits you," Octoling complimented in return.

"Haha! Thanks, I thought it sounded embarrassing," Agent 3 admitted as he crossed his arms.

"No not at all," Octoling said while shaking her head, "But how does Cap'n know that the Octarians stole the Zapfish?"

Agent 3 took a deep breath and clasped his hands together.

"To be honest, our species have been against each other ever since the Great Turf War many years ago," Agent 3 responded, "I guess the Octarians took the Zapfish out of revenge."

"That explains a lot," Octoling sighed in disappointment.

"Our species did get along peacefully before. I don't understand how one giant war would ultimately tear us apart," Agent 3 pondered out loud as he crossed his arms again.

"I don't know," Octoling replied in defeat, "I wish I had all the answers."

Agent 3 nodded in return. As he saw the sun disappear in the horizon, the sky was beginning to turn into night. It was then he suddenly had an idea.

"Hey! How about I show you around Inkopolis?" he suggested as he stood up excitedly.

"Oh! Um…Do you think it's safe to?" Octoling wondered feeling wary after hearing about the discord between their species.

"It will be fine! We can wait till it's really late and no one is around," Agent 3 explained as he reached out his hand to help her stand up, "I'll make sure you're safe."

Octoling hesitated for a moment, but she realized she had been wandering Octo Valley for most of her life. Maybe visiting another land apart from what she's used to seeing, would give her a different perspective.

"Okay, let's go!" she agreed as she grabbed Agent 3's hand.

~to be continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Unwelcome

Chapter 3: Unwelcome

Agent 3 and Octoling walked in the dark alleyways to avoid any eye contact from nearby Inklings. Everyone coming out of Inkopolis was heading home for the night. It was perfect timing to show Octoling around town. As they neared the center of Inkopolis, they noticed the shops from afar. Each window illuminated light and the merchandise on display. Octoling felt enchanted, the environment felt very new and welcoming to her.

"I've never seen a world like this one in Octo Valley. It's so much more beautiful and cleaner here! Everything in Octo Valley is so dull and mechanical. I wouldn't mind being an Inkling for a day if I had the choice," Octoling sighed with wonder.

"Well maybe you don't have to be an Inkling. Maybe one day you can come by and visit here without anyone gawking at you," Agent 3 said with a small smile.

"Maybe…" Octoling replied unsure of the future.

The store front they first approached was "Shrimp Kicks". Octoling gawked at the colors of the shoes and unique style each pair contained.

"Woow! Look at those colors. I'd definitely wear these," Octoling said breathlessly.

"Hehe Crusty Sean owns this shop. He's pretty chill when you first meet him. I bet he'd make you custom ones."

"I would love some purple colored shoes!" Octoling suggested with a big smile across her face.

Agent 3 continued guiding her along the store fronts as they held hands. The next store they encountered was "Jelly Fresh".

"That's so cute!" Octoling excitedly said while pointing to one pink colored shirt with a squid playing a ukulele.

"I think I might have that one somewhere," Agent 3 mentioned as he tried to remember.

Octoling's face instantly beamed as she looked up at Agent 3. He could tell she really wanted the shirt as her grin grew bigger.

"Hey if I can find it in my closet at home, then I'll let you have it," Agent 3 promised.

Octoling jumped up and down instantly. She felt like the most happiest (and probably the only) Octarian in the whole world.

"Thank you thank you!" she exclaimed as she jumped into Agent 3's arms. Agent 3 felt his facial cheeks go warm as he held her in return.

"Sure thing!" Agent 3 replied trying his best to keep his composure.

Octoling released her grip, turned around, and continued walking down towards the next store. While she wasn't looking, Agent 3 did his best to breathe calmly and cool down his face as he fanned himself with his hands. Before Octoling peeked through the window, the door to the store opened. Agent 3's heart sank, he forgot about the shopkeepers staying later to close their stores. Annie stepped outside and Moe, the goldfish floating on top of her head, turned his body towards Octoling and Agent 3. His eyes quickly widened the moment he recognized Octoling.

"AN OCTOLING!" he screamed suddenly turning upside down in shock. Annie jumped from his scream and noticed Octoling standing there on her right.

Annie tried to scream, but gasped instead as she walked back in shock. She fell backwards and landed on her butt, but kept her eyes on Octoling as she stared in horror.

"Annie, please! She's harmless!" Agent 3 quickly said out loud as he ran in front of Octoling.

Annie could barely speak in return as she remained frozen in shock.

"I knew it!" Cap'n Cuttlefish cried from afar as he, for the first time, emerged out of the kettle covering. His cane, to Agent 3's surprise, turned into a charger gun as Cap'n aimed towards Octoling. Without any hesitation, Cap'n fired his gun. Agent 3, still being in front of Octoling shifted his body so he would take the hit. The impact hurt the middle of his chest, but Agent 3 kept his stance. A big splotch of ink stained his jacket.

"OUT OF THE WAY AGENT 3!" Cap'n demanded while keeping his aim while walking carefully towards them.

"NO!" Agent 3 yelled, "SHE'S MY FRIEND!"

"There's no such thing of an Inkling and Octoling friendship!" Cap'n yelled back, "They weren't meant to get along!"

"You're not being fair Cap'n! She's unarmed! Why would you try to attack someone who has personally done nothing towards you?!"

"You don't understand kid. They're all the same! She may act innocent right now, but watch! She'll backstab you and restart this war! Heck! Bet she's the one who stole the Great Zap Fish!"

Their loud scene brought in a few groups of Inklings emerging out from the alleyways. They were surprised to see Cap'n out from his kettle corner, but more so of Octoling hiding right behind Agent 3. They began talking and Agent 3 could hear parts of the conversation.

"Is that really an Octoling?"

"Why is that Inkling protecting an Octoling?"

"Cap'n really is a crazy old man!"

Annie took this opportunity to get up and flee from the scene. Agent 3 began to feel irritated of the crowd forming behind them; he had to end this situation right away. He pulled his gun from right behind him and aimed it towards Cap'n. The Inklings gasped and continued talking.

"He won't fire!"

"Cap'n is too old to take a hit, he'd probably die!"

Cap'n didn't show in the slightest, any signs of hesitation. He continued keeping his gun aimed towards Agent 3 and Octoling.

"You wouldn't dare sonny! Fire at me and I'll withdraw your name! Everyone here will know of your failures from protecting Inkopolis to failure in finding the Great Zap Fish!" Cap'n threatened as he walked closer.

Agent 3 knew he had to bite the bullet or else Octoling would get hurt. He fired his gun, but the shot went close to only graze Cap'n's head and stun him for a brief moment. Cap'n dropped his charger and held his head to rub in the pain. Agent 3 pulled Octoling right behind him and pushed her towards the kettle.

"You have to go and hide in Octo Valley!" he commanded while keeping his eyes on Cap'n.

Octoling didn't hesitate. She quickly ran towards kettle lid entrance, turned into an octopus, and dove inside. Cap'n came back to his senses. He looked towards Agent 3 with anger.

"YOU'RE FIRED!" Cap'n screamed.

Agent 3 shrugged in return. As long as Octoling was safe, he didn't care what Cap'n ended up doing with him.

"I can prove to you AND ALL OF YOU," Agent 3 replied as he looked from Cap'n and towards the crowd behind him, "she's not like the other Octarians you all grew up to believe. She's good, and I'm sure there are other good Octarians just like her."

"You two can be friends all you want!" Cap'n began as he picked up his charger and returned it back into its cane shape, "but you just wait and see sonny! You become friends with those Octarians, and you will be walking around with a knife behind your back!"

With those last words, Cap'n walked back to the kettle entrance and entered inside. The crowd dispersed as well, but Agent 3 remained standing in the middle of the plaza. Although he was stripped of his name, he knew no one would stop him in continuing his duty. He could feel his determination growing inside of him.

~to be continued….


	4. Chapter 4: Reveal

Chapter 4: Reveal

Agent 3 sat up from his bed and looked out the window. He could see the buildings of Inkopolis from far away and recalled last night's events. He felt conflicted about going out into the city and seeing everyone's reactions and hearing their conversations. He also didn't feel too sure about whether he was ripped from his title as "Agent 3" officially. Would Cap'n have made it known to everyone in Inkopolis? Then Octoling crossed his mind, was she safe wherever she is? Would Cap'n let him through the entrance of Octo Valley? Agent 3 didn't want to waste time pondering, so he got up and decided to get ready to head over to Inkopolis. After putting on his clothes and hat, to ensure his face was hidden from the crowd, he headed out the door.

Arriving at Inkopolis, Agent 3 noticed the large screens flashing over and over the word "Missing" with Cap'n's image at the bottom of it; Agent 3's heart sunk instantly. He hoped it hadn't been his and or Octoling's fault for Cap'n missing.

"I bet that Octoling last night had something to do with it," Agent 3 heard from a voice behind him. He glanced over and noticed two girl Inklings talking to each other.

"Who knows? What I want to know is why Callie and Marie took the day off," the other girl Inkling replied, "I want them announcing the levels, not Judd. They're a lot more fun to watch."

As they walked off, Agent 3 began to wonder, "Where are Callie and Marie? Does it have something to do with Cap'n's disappearance?"

When he looked into the distance, the kettle entrance to Octo Valley caught his attention. He quickly approached it and noticed a heavy metal grate covering the entrance. There were also various signs of "KEEP OUT" and "DO NOT ENTER" posted all over the metal grate. How was he supposed to check Octoling now? He knew he couldn't move the metal grate on his own, he would need help, but who would be willing to?

"Mrrow, no one is allowed to enter"

Agent 3 turned his head to the direction of the voice and noticed Judd staring at him. Judd was lying on his stomach and used his arm to hold his head up as he eyed Agent 3.

"I know…" Agent 3 replied as he turned his body towards Judd.

"No one saw Cap'n look out of the kettle this morning," Judd explained as he then rolled over to lie on his back, "I happened to check inside Octo Valley and saw that he was gone. Then right after, Callie and Marie went missing too. So I took the precaution of closing up Octo Valley till we get official word of what's going on."

"I see," Agent 3 answered, "but I have to enter Octo Valley and see for myself what's going on. It's probably my fault Cap'n is missing."

Agent 3 slowly raised his hat brim to reveal his face to Judd. The cat hopped on all fours and his back tensed up.

"Agent 3?!" Judd whispered and hissed in surprise. Agent 3 pulled down his hat brim and placed his index finger to his lips to motion "SHHHH!" to Judd.

"Judd be quiet!" Agent 3 harshly whispered back, "Look, you know I need to change this situation. You've been announcing the levels every 4 hours and I can tell you're not having fun doing it. You want to spend time all day sitting on your box!"

Judd huffed in response and stretched himself out. As he calmly rested his stomach on his box once more, he turned his head away from Agent 3, giving him the cold shoulder.

"Judd please," Agent 3 begged, "I'm the only one who can do this. You have to help me."

"Mrrrr…." Judd mumbled as he contemplated.

"You want to keep announcing levels?!" Agent 3 pointed out again.

"Fine fine!" Judd snapped in agreement, "but under one condition!"

Judd turned his head back to look at Agent 3 with a smirk.

"What is it?" Agent 3 asked raising an eye brow.

"You get me 3 fish for dinner," Judd responded with a large grin.

"Deal," Agent 3 agreed. Luckily he had fish in the fridge back at home.

"Arrive here late at night and I'll open the entrance for you," Judd replied licking his chops as he imagined eating all three delicious fish, "Oh! And with the fish too! You got that?"

"Yes, we have a deal," Agent 3 concluded as he tipped his hat.

Late into the evening, Agent 3 squid hopped from one rooftop to the other towards Inkopolis. He was adorned in his usual Agent gear and in his left hand, he carried the small bag of fish he promised Judd. As he neared the plaza, he caught the sound of running footsteps from the alleyway below. He stopped and looked down into the alleyway. He recognized Octoling instantly, her bright red tentacle "hair" shining from the street lights. She was running away from two silhouettes that were chasing her. Agent 3 quickly hopped down and followed right behind the silhouettes.

Octoling ran into a dead end and as she turned around she quickly knelt to the floor and raised her hands in the air.

"Please!" she begged as tears ran down from her eyes, "I don't mean any harm!"  
Agent 3 saw the silhouettes pull out their guns and point it towards Octoling. He quickly drew out his gun and dashed forward towards them.

"HOLD IT," Agent 3 yelled aiming his gun.

The silhouettes stopped and turned around to face Agent 3. They held their guns up and aimed it towards him instead.

"Agent 3…" Octoling sighed as she looked up. She felt relieved to see her friend again.

"Stop right there Agent 3," spoke one of the silhouettes. The voice sounded very familiar. Agent 3 stopped running and paused. He continued to hold up his gun in defense. As he squinted to take aim, the details of the silhouettes began to make sense. He couldn't believe it for a second. Standing in front of him was Callie and Marie, both adorned in their respective colors of Agent gear.

"No way," Agent 3 breathed as he lowered his gun.

~to be continued….


	5. Chapter 5: Found

Chapter 5: Found

"You're…" Agent 3 spoke, but he was at lost for words. He exhaled in awe eyeing both Callie and Marie standing before him.

"I am Agent 2," Marie revealed placing away her gun.

"And I am Agent 1!" Callie replied with a cheerful voice, while putting away her gun as well.

Agent 3 still didn't know what else to say. How he came about being Agent 3 was clear now, but he didn't expect Callie and Marie to be the first two Agents. His ears suddenly picked up Octoling sniffling and he looked over towards her. Still kneeling, her hands were still raised in the air with her head drooped looking down.

"Let her go," Agent 3 demanded getting back into the moment.

Marie simply shook her head in return. Before Agent 3 could say anything back, Marie reached into her pocket and pulled out a small disk. She gave it a gentle press. Octoling instantly glitched out and disappeared. Agent 3's heart sank, it was only a hologram.

"Apologies," Marie replied putting away the disk and crossing her arms, "we did this to lure you here. We need your help Agent 3."

"So you haven't seen Octoling anywhere?" Agent 3 asked while feeling worried.

"No, we have not," Callie answered empathizing with Agent 3.

Agent 3 looked away and gave a small sigh.

"I just hope she's safe," he whispered.

"If we were to see her though, she would still be on our list of suspects," Marie replied with a sense of duty.

Agent 3 looked up at her with some annoyance.

"Suspects? How could she have done anything wrong when she's unarmed! Cap'n pulled a gun on both of us last night," Agent 3 snapped while clenching his fists, "you can't list her as a suspect without any proof!"

"Easy now Agent 3," Marie quickly said, "We understand she's your friend. But we need further investigation to clear off that she's not a double agent of the Octolings. If we somehow encounter her, you have our word. We won't hurt her." Callie nodded in agreement.

"Fine," Agent 3 responded feeling only slightly convinced, "so what help do you need from me?"

Marie looked over at Callie and motioned her head to let her speak.

"Find the Great Zapfish and clear out all the locations in Octo Valley," Callie explained, "the more locations we clear out, the closer we are to finding Octoling and Cap'n."

"Okay so my usual missions," Agent 3 said unsurprised. He cleared out two areas so far and pictured in his mind the rest of the islands floating in Octo Valley. His confidence lowered as he imagined the other kettle entrances he hadn't touched.

"It will be awhile, but we know you can do it," Marie assured.

"We won't be able to help you since we have missions of our own. But you're free to communicate with us on your ear piece," Callie further explained, "We've already forwarded our contacts to you."

Agent 3 nodded and gave a sigh of relief; at least he wasn't alone. There was one thing that lingered in his mind however.

"There's something I need to know. Although you guys address me as 'Agent 3', Cap'n said I was fired last night. Am I not 'Agent 3' anymore? Should I be called something else?" he asked, wondering if Cap'n's word was the official call off.

Marie and Callie looked at each other for a moment and began to laugh.

"Oh Gramps!" Callie laughed while holding her stomach. Agent 3's ears perked up.

" _They're related?!_ " he thought his eyes widening. Everything made much more sense now.

"Hey shhh!" Marie cut in; realizing Callie had spilled the beans.

"Oh I mean- Cap'n!" Callie said while covering her mouth.

"Look," Marie began, "Cap'n over reacted. He doesn't mean it when he says you're fired. He just doesn't like anyone going against his rules."

"Yeah! I've been fired tons of times!" Callie admitted with a smirk and a shrug, "but I'm still an Agent. No matter what he says, he still needs our help at the end of the day."

"Exactly," Marie agreed with a nod.

"Well that's good," Agent 3 said feeling relieved, "I'm glad I can keep the name. I like being called 'Agent 3'."

Callie and Marie dropped their smiles and gave each other a concerned look, then looked back at Agent 3.

"What? Something wrong?" Agent 3 asked with concern.

"'Agent 3' is not who you are," Marie firmly said, "It's not a true name to have."

"But I'm fine with being called 'Agent 3', I mean it's better than whatever I'll come up with," Agent 3 admitted a little embarrassed.

"Being called 'Agent 3' doesn't identify who you are," Marie continued to explain, "It's you and having your own name that defines who you truly are."

Agent 3 felt taken back once again. It was true "Agent 3" isn't who he is, but who was he really? He didn't know where to begin nor could he come up with any name he felt comfortable with. The more he thought about the subject, the further he felt lost.

"You'll come up with your name when the time is right," Callie encouraged walking over and putting her hand on his shoulder, "Focus on the missions first, the name can come after."

"Thanks Callie," Agent 3 said looking up at her with a small smile.

"We have to get going Agent 3. I'm sure you know already that Judd can open the entrance for you?" Marie asked noticing a lot of time has passed already as she looked at her watch.

"Yes, I promised him three fish and he'll let me in," Agent 3 answered while holding up the bag of fish.

"Good!" Callie replied as she walked back beside Marie, "We will see you soon in Octo Valley."

"You're not coming with me?" Agent 3 wondered as he placed away the fish.

"We can't, we still have a few things to take care of here in Inkopolis," Marie answered with a shake of her head from side to side.

"Just call us if you need us!" Callie replied cheerfully.

"Good luck," Marie assured.

And without another word, the girls turned around and quickly jumped up. They landed onto the rooftops of the buildings and ran off.

Agent 3 inhaled deeply and exhaled.

"One step at a time," he whispered to himself.

Judd gladly took the fish from Agent 3 and with a snap from his small cat paws the kettle entrance clicked and the metal grate lifted itself up.

"Thanks! Have fun," Judd said as he rolled on his back and began dumping the fish into his mouth.

"Thanks Judd," Agent 3 replied as he transformed himself into a squid and dove into the kettle entrance.

Completing each mission and clearing out each of the floating islands proved difficult. Agent 3 struggled and collected as much Power Eggs as he could to help him unlock more of his gear levels. But Octarian Boss he faced served a higher challenge. Callie and Marie still didn't show up, unfortunately. He tried contacting them through his ear piece, but no response.

"I guess on I'm on my own!" he groaned as he took a seat underneath the shade of a tree outside. He looked up to the sky to catch a glimpse of the clouds, when his eyes suddenly caught something else. It was a flying saucer and it hovered in place high up above the floating islands.

"I've never seen that before," he realized as he stood up and stared at the flying saucer. He checked the island that floated right below the saucer and saw that there was a jump pad available to help him reach higher up.

"I guess that saucer is my last stop," he figured as he rested his back against the tree.

A couple of days had passed since Agent 3 met with Callie and Marie. He finished his last mission and the only thing left was the flying saucer. He didn't see any signs of Cap'n or Octoling, and he grew anxious. He hoped maybe they would be inside the saucer.

As he stepped onto the last jump pad and squid hopped onto the flying saucer, he noticed it was a floating kettle entrance. Curious, he entered inside. What happened next was something he didn't expect. He could feel the saucer spin very fast and then felt the pressure of being lifted high up into the air. Agent 3 held on and when the saucer came to an abrupt stop, he felt shaken. He calmed himself and tried to breathe. As he transformed back to his humanoid self and emerged out of the kettle, he checked his surroundings. He saw multiple floating platforms and the Great Zap Fish floating above it. Agent 3 felt relieved to see the smile of the giant fish. He made it! As he turned his head to the right to check the rest of the area, he spotted Cap'n on a platform of his own, sitting on a chair while tied up with multiple ropes.

"Cap'n!" Agent 3 called to get his attention.

Cap'n looked at Agent 3 surprised at first, but then his face quickly turned sour. He turned his head away from Agent 3.

"I'm surprised to see you here sonny! I thought you joined the Octarians!" he said cold heartedly.

"I'm here to rescue you!" Agent 3 snapped with frustration. Cap'n was as stubborn as ever.

"Hmph! Says you! Your friend proved otherwise!" Cap'n scoffed, "I TOLD YOU SHE WAS NO GOOD!"

Before Agent 3 could say something nasty back, a familiar voice suddenly spoke right behind him.

"Hello Agent 3…"

Agent 3's heart fluttered, he knew whose voice it was. He quickly smiled and turned around, but what he saw began to break his heart. Standing there adorned in full Octarian gear and holding an Octarian gun, was Octoling. Her tentacle "hair" didn't glimmer brightly as Agent 3 remembered it, instead it dull dark red color. Her eyes that were once warm and welcoming, appeared cold and distant. Agent 3 wished this was a nightmare and he found it hard to swallow that this was all a reality.

~to be continued…


	6. Chapter 6: Ink

Chapter 6: Ink

Agent 3 didn't know what to say. He kept staring at Octoling and the changes to her appearance. She used to have a glow about her, now it was gone. He didn't want to believe any of it.

"Octoling, this can't be you," Agent 3 said reaching out to touch her face, but she instantly smacked his hand away.

"All Inklings are my enemy. I swore to DJ Octavio to destroy all of you!" she replied while gritting her teeth.  
"DJ Octavio?" Agent 3 questioned. He never heard of that name before.

"You don't know my name? You're a pathetic Inkling!"

Agent 3 turned to where the voice was coming from and saw a large saucer floating down upon the Great Zap Fish. Sitting inside the saucer was a giant red Octopus adorned with a golden samurai helmet. In front of him was a DJ turntable and right beside him were groups of wasabi plants. On both sides of the saucer were two large stereos and two giant robotic hands. Then at the front of the saucer, were four cannons.

"Hmmm why does this Octopus look familiar?" Agent 3 said to himself. His eyes averted back to the golden samurai helmet. Then it dawned on him, he recalled the Sea Scroll he read days ago.

"He used to be friends with Cap'n!" Agent 3 realized understanding why Cap'n felt a huge distrust and hate towards Octarians.

As DJ Octavio's saucer hovered over the Great Zap Fish, it sent a beam of light down below and quickly pulled the giant fish inside.

"Oh no…." Agent 3 groaned. Completing his mission went two big steps backwards.

"You see that Agent 3?!" Cap'n called towards him, "I told you, you can't trust those Octarians!"

Agent 3 didn't bother to look over at Cap'n; he heard enough of his barking.

"The Octarian race will always be far superior," Octoling spoke, "I'm honored to have DJ Octavio as our leader."

Agent 3 instantly face-palmed, "Yeah you're definitely brainwashed," he concluded while shaking his head.

Octoling ignored Agent 3's words and continued eyeing DJ Octavio in admiration. She then jumped high up from the platform and landed right beside DJ Octavio in his saucer. Agent 3 gave a quick sigh and readied his gun.

"I guess I'll have to fight both of them then," he thought not feeling too happy about confronting his friend.

The sound of footsteps landing on the platform was heard right behind him. He quickly turned around and saw Callie and Marie. They walked over to him and gave him a small pat on the back.

"Sorry we're late," Marie apologized casually, "but we're here to help."

"What took you guys so long?!" Agent 3 said raising his voice, "I tried calling you guys through the ear piece and it didn't work!"

"We did some digging on your friend," Marie replied seeing Agent 3's frustration, "She's from an Octo Valley version of Piranha Pit. DJ Octavio left evidence there of cloning Octarians. We believe that's how he's been creating his army."

The name tag "Octoling 0000" flashed back into Agent 3's mind.

"So Octoling was an experiment," Agent 3 answered.

"Possibly," Callie replied, "But we don't have time to explain, we need to take down DJ Octavio now."

"What about Octoling?" Agent 3 asked pointing towards her in the saucer.

"Callie and I will take care of DJ Octavio," Marie began, "you will go after Octoling."

"What?! But I thought we were doing this together?" Agent 3 questioned.

"We won't hurt your friend remember?" Callie said reminding Agent 3 of the promise her and Marie made.

"Oh right, what was I thinking?" his voice trailing off as he remembered.

"Well if it isn't Agent 1 and 2!" DJ Octavio boomed on the stereo, "Here to show your new friend how successful and skilled the Octarians are?"

"Not a chance!" Callie cried in triumph, "We're here to make you dance!"

Callie snapped her fingers and right away DJ Octavio's stereos began to play _Calamari Inkantation_.

"NOOOOO WHERE'S MY WASABI BEATS?!" DJ Octavio roared in anger as he tried to press and shift all the buttons on his turntable.

Callie and Marie took this opportunity to shoot DJ Octavio with their guns. Octoling jumped out of the way to avoid the blasts. Once she landed onto the platform below, she came face to face with Agent 3. She took out her gun, ran towards him, and began firing. He dodged her shots and punched her gun out of her hands. The gun fell into the depths below the platform. He raised his gun and aimed at her face in defense.

"That's enough Octoling!" he ordered.

Octoling shot him a glare and began to throw punches at him. Quickly putting away his gun, he continued dodging her, moving his body in the opposite direction to avoid her punches. He kicked her lightly in the stomach to push her back, then turned around and began to run. He noticed Callie and Marie were a few platforms away, still fighting DJ Octavio. He decided to catch up to them and let Octoling follow him.

When they reached one of the last platforms, Octoling caught up with Agent 3 and punched him behind his head. He fell forward, but caught himself on the floor and pushed himself back up. He grabbed his gun, faced Octoling, and fired a couple shots at her. She raised her arms in defense, but the red ink sliced her arms.

"AH!" she screamed as she fell back and landed on her butt. Agent 3 noticed her wounds began to ooze purple ink, some of it dropping to the floor. Feeling guilty, he placed away his gun and walked up to her. He tried giving her a hand.

"Let me help you," he offered.

"NO!" she snapped and threw a punch at his face. The hit quickly gave him a swelling on his left cheek. When she tried to punch again, he caught her fist and grabbed her other arm.

"STOP IT!" Agent 3 yelled as she struggled to release herself from his tight grasp.

"WATCH OUT!" Agent 3 heard Callie and Marie scream right behind him.

He felt a huge impact against his back. At that second, he opened his arms to catch Octoling into his chest. As they were about to land onto the floor, Octoling's head banged right against it. DJ Octavio had thrown his Rocket Fists at both of them.

"Useless!" DJ Octavio yelled over the speakers, "You've made it this far and haven't destroyed that Inkling! You're not Octarian of mine!"

As the Rocket Fist recoiled back, Agent 3 stood back up slowly. The attack took half of his health, but he was okay to stand. He looked over at DJ Octavio and commented, "I could say the same about you! Looks like you've taken a beating from Agent 1 and 2 and haven't destroyed them yet!"

DJ Octavio glared at him and Callie and Marie took the distraction as an advantage. They continued shooting and throwing bombs at him. Agent 3 looked over at Octoling, who also was trying to stand. He noticed her tentacle "hair" began to change from the dull red to a bright red.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

Octoling rubbed the back of her head and opened her eyes. Agent 3 noticed her eyes appeared brightly colored once again. When she looked at him, she gave a huge smile.

"Agent 3!" she said while giving him a quick embrace, "Where are we? What's going on?"

His heart fluttered at the sound of her familiar voice and the embrace she gave him.

"See for yourself," he said nodding his head in DJ Octavio's direction, "There's been a lot of trouble. I'm glad to see you back to normal. He brainwashed you didn't he?"

Octoling's eyes looked down and she nodded, "He did. He was at the entrance of Octo Valley waiting for me. He confessed everything, from cloning the Octarians to brainwashing them into thinking there was still a war. I was one of the first ones he created, which explains my name tag. But he considered me a defect the moment I couldn't obey his orders. So he erased my memory and tossed me in a place called Piranha Pit, hoping I would die after that."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Agent 3 said while holding her hand.

"No, it's not your fault Agent 3," Octoling insisted, "It happened. What I want to do now is make things right. I don't want to see any more of the Octarians fighting, this has to stop."

"You're right, but…," Agent 3 began to say. He turned his back to her revealing his broken ink tank. There was a small chunk of red ink left.

"You don't have a gun and with the ink I have left, I can only fire one more shot," he said as he opened the top container of his gun, "maybe it's all we need to take DJ Octavio down."

Agent 3 removed his ink tank and carefully poured the left over ink into the top container. However, the line drawn inside the container measured that there wasn't enough ink for another shot.

"Oh no, we don't have enough ink," Agent 3 commented looking around for a possible solution. When he looked down he noticed the purple ink left by Octoling's wounds.

"That should work right?" Octoling asked.

"Let's try," Agent 3 replied scooping up a bit of the purple ink into the container. Luckily it worked; the ink reached the first measured line.

"Let's go get him!" Octoling smiled.

When Agent 3 and Octoling reached to the end of the last platform, they noticed DJ Octavio floating away from his giant saucer.

"We're here to help!" Agent 3 called.

Callie and Marie turned around to face them.

"Good seeing you two back together," Marie said, "DJ Octavio is down to one last shot."

"How about you two do the honors?" Callie offered.

Octoling and Agent 3 nodded in return and held hands. They walked forward and approached DJ Octavio. Agent 3 handed Octoling the gun and she did her best to aim. Agent 3 walked behind her and placed his hands over hers to assist her in holding the gun. Both their index fingers met the trigger.

"Ready?" Agent 3 asked keeping her hands steady.

"Ready," Octoling replied determined.

As they fired the gun, the ink shot out an ink swirl of red and purple. It struck DJ Octavio with a powerful blow, crashing him into the saucer and causing a huge explosion of ink.

Callie, Marie, Agent 3, and Octoling confined DJ Octavio in a small snow globe near the entrance of Octo Valley. Cap'n promised to keep an eye on him.

"Octoling," Cap'n called over to her.

"Yes sir?" Octoling answered as she approached Cap'n.

"I owe you a huge apology," Cap'n said giving her a bow, "I was wrong to assume what kind of Octarian you were. I should have taken the time to get to know you first. I hope you can find it in your two hearts to forgive me."

"I forgive you Cap'n!" Octoling replied bowing back in return.

"Thank you," Cap'n said with relief.  
"You two have a long road ahead in bringing back peace to Octo Valley," Marie said looking at both Agent 3 and Octoling.

"We do, but I think we can handle it together," Agent 3 assured as he held Octoling's hand.

"Sounds good to me," Marie answered with a smile, "Now that the Great Zap Fish is back in Inkopolis and Cap'n is safe and sound, we'll need to make an announcement to the city."

"That means you two will need official names, so we can address you properly as our heroes of Inkopolis," Callie added on.

"But it was you two who did most of the work. We can't take all the credit," Agent 3 said feeling a bit uneasy.

"Right, but we can't blow our cover," Callie insisted, "think of it this way, when the credit goes to both of you, everyone will understand that the Octarians and Inklings are no longer in a war."

"Hmmm true," Agent 3 responded. He glanced over at Octoling then back to Callie and Marie.

"Can you give us a moment to talk?" he asked.

"Sure, take all the time you need to decide on a name," Marie agreed.

Agent 3 and Octoling appeared to be talking for a while as Callie, Marie, and Cap'n watched from afar. After moments of talking, the two finally came to an agreement and began walking back towards the group.

"What are your chosen names?" Marie asked.

"My chosen name will be Red," Octoling began to say, "Because red represents the color of the Octolings and my passion for bringing peace between Octarians and Inklings."

"A wise choice!" Marie complimented, "and how about you Agent 3?"

"My chosen name will be Purple," he replied, "Because it represents the blood of the Octarians and my partnership with Octoling in keeping the peace."

"A very strong meaning," Callie complimented as she gave a clap.

"And they already sound a lot better than what you two were called before," Cap'n chimed in with a nod.

"You two are ready," Marie nodded, "We will make the announcements and notify you two, on your ear pieces, when it's time to come out and present yourselves."

Red and Purple agreed together, but they couldn't help but feel nervous, as they felt a pit in their stomachs.

Callie and Marie walked to the kettle entrance, Red and Purple followed right behind. When the Squid Sisters exited Octo Valley, Red looked over at Purple.

"Hey Purple?" Red asked turning her head towards him, "Do you think the Inklings will accept me for who I am?"

"I think they will," Purple assured her as he tightened gently his grip on her hand, "And even if some don't, they don't matter anyways. You have full support of those who truly do care about you, like me, Callie, Marie, and Cap'n."

Red exhaled with some relief.

"You're right," she smiled, "and that's all that matters."

Their ear pieces gave a soft beep sound.

"You guys ready?" Callie's voice rang in the ear piece.

"We're ready," Red and Purple chimed in.

Together they turned into Octopus and Squid as they dove into the kettle entrance together. When they emerged on the other side, they saw a huge crowd of curious Inklings gathered in front of them. Everyone looked to be in awe, as it was their first time seeing an Octarian in their world. The silence made Red feel even more uncomfortable. But then slowly and surely, everyone began to clap and cheer.

Purple gave a huge smile at Red.

"Are you ready to meet everyone?" he asked as he took a couple steps forward.

Red breathed in, and then breathed out.

"I'm ready," she responded with a smile in return.

The End

 _Author's Note:_

 _Thank you to everyone for reading and reviewing this fanfic! I had a blast and wanted the final chapter to be close to the release date of Splatoon 2. Thank you, thank you, thank you, to everyone's support. Let's continue celebrating this awesome franchise with the future Splatfests!_


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